The present invention relates generally to pliers-type hand tools and, specifically, to a fish skinning and scaling tool.
In skinning a fish, two operations are normally required. First the skin of the fish is loosened, as around the base of the head, and secondly the skin is then removed. To perform these tasks, it is customary to use a sharp bladed instrument for cutting the skin loose and a pincer type tool for gripping the loosened edge of skin for removing the skin from the body. As a result, a person engaged in skinning fish will pick up and lay down the respective cutting and skinning tools countless times. Such wasted motions are inefficient and add to the time required for performing the task. Often times, one or both of the tools will become lost on the work table.
It is also desirable that the fish skinning tool be provided with a sharp edge for scaling fish. In this way, one tool can perform multiple tasks without picking up and laying down different tools which tends to allow the tools to become greasy and slippery to handle. Prior tools which were provided with a pincer type design and which were provided with sharp scaling surfaces tended to be bulky and awkwardly designed.